⚪ Draughts
Captures are compulsory. Chain your jumps, crown your men, take the board.
AI
STATUS 0YOURS 0THEIRS 0W/L/D 0
How to play Draughts
- You play the light pieces and move first. Men move one square diagonally forward.
- Jump an adjacent enemy piece to capture it, landing on the empty square beyond.
- Captures are compulsory, and if a further jump is available from the landing square you must keep going.
- Reach the far row and your man is crowned a king, which may then move and jump backwards as well.
- You win by capturing every enemy piece or leaving your opponent with no legal move.
Controls
| Input | Action |
|---|---|
| Click / tap | Select a piece, then its destination |
| H | Highlight the pieces that must move |
| Z | Take back your last move |
| R | Start a new game |
| F | Enter or leave full screen |
| Esc | Leave full screen |
Tips & strategy
- Hold your back row as long as you can. Those two squares stop enemy men being crowned.
- Because captures are forced, offering a piece can drag your opponent into a chain that costs them two.
- Advance in connected blocks. A lone man on an open board is usually a lost man.
- A king is worth far more than a man, so a race to the crown row is often worth losing material for.
Frequently asked questions
Which rules are these?
English draughts, also called American checkers: an eight by eight board, men that move forward only, compulsory captures, and kings that move one square in any diagonal direction.
Do I have to take a capture?
Yes, captures are compulsory. If more than one capture is available you may choose which, but you may not decline all of them.
How strong is the Hard opponent?
It searches several moves deep with alpha-beta pruning and values kings, back-row control and advancement, so it will punish loose men and force exchanges when ahead.